20071106

New on the market

• Bambu Rum: David Kanbar's experience at Skyy Vodka (as an executive for the enterprise founded by his uncle) let him know a start-up spirit is possible even in a crowded market. So, he created this "rum for vodka drinkers," as he terms it. It's quadruple distilled and triple filtered in the Britosh West Indies to remove any impurities that cause vodka headaches for some people (his wife is one of those). It is made in tiny batches and packaged in a fancy-schmancy bottle carrying a suggested retail price of $47.99.

• TØZ Rum: St. Lucia Distilleries named this new offering for the "troy ounce," the measurement usually used for weighing precious metals. TØZ, like all St. Lucia rums and rum liqueurs, is made from molasses shipped in from Guyana. The final product is a blend of rums anywhere from two to seven years old, distilled in copper alambic pot and continuous stills, then aged in American white oak barrels and, finally, finished in vintage port casks. Suggested retail price: $23 for a 700ml bottle.

• Boomerang Vodka: This vodka from Foster's Wine Estates in Australia is a grape-based, charcoal-filtered distillation made from Chardonnay grapes. It is being marketed in a joint venture with Chris Williams, who also owns Wattle Creek Winery in Sonoma, CA. Suggested retail price: $19.99 for a 750ml bottle.